Ford Focus RS

Fast Fords don’t come much faster than the Focus RS. With its turbocharged 301bhp engine, the hot hatch has redefined the existing class boundaries – and that guaranteed it a place in our annual performance car shoot-out. We’ve already been impressed with its performance on the road, so how does the front-wheel-drive family model cope on the Anglesey track?

Super-smooth tarmac is music to the RS’s ears because it helps to reduce the amount of tugging you experience through the steering as you try to deploy all the five-cylinder unit’s power. The feisty Ford is enormously capable in dry conditions, and the stiff suspension means it’s easy to lift the inside rear tyre in tight corners. Its thick-rimmed steering wheel is great to hold and provokes an immediate response, with sharp turn-in and minimal body roll.

But what you can’t escape is the Focus RS’s weight. It puts a lot of strain on the front tyres and brakes… and prolonged track use is good for neither. While the hugely entertaining Fiesta Mountune feels as though it wants to lap the Welsh circuit all day long, the Focus needs a more measured approach, otherwise you risk annihilating your rubber. It still puts a smile on your face, although much of your enjoyment comes from its immense straight-line performance, rather than its handling ability.

Exit the circuit and the electric pace of the Ford never ceases to impress. Yet on typical back roads, its wide tyres want to follow the camber of the surface and they squirm under hard acceleration. It also requires enormous self-control not to exceed the legal limit because, more than many of the faster cars further up our ranking, it begs to be driven hard. Ultimately, you end up respecting the RS rather than adoring it.

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